1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to organic and carbon compositions comprising metal nanoparticles and methods of synthesizing metal nanoparticles. The invention also relates to new metal phase, for example, Fe3Pd, Mn, fcc PdCo, Fe4Pt, RuCo, CoMn, RuFe, and nanoparticles of bcc Co.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The term “nanoparticles” generally describes particles with diameters of about 1-100 nm. Metal nanoparticles can have electromagnetic properties different from the bulk metal. This can be caused by surface effects due to the high surface area to volume ratio.
Several methods of synthesizing metal nanoparticles are summarized in Leslie-Pelecky et al., “Magnetic Properties of Nanostructured Materials,” Chem. Mater. 1996, 8, 1770-1783. These methods include reduction of metal salt by alkali metal in a hydrocarbon solvent, borohydride reduction of transition metal, metal vapor deposition, acoustic cavitation of liquid metal, fabrication via inversed micelles, evaporation/condensation of metal, sputtering, mechanical alloying, carbon arc, and partial recrystallization. None of these methods produce metal nanoparticles by heating a metallic compound and an organic compound.
Prinz, “Stabilization of bcc Co via Epitaxial Growth on GaAs,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 54, 10, 1051-1054, discloses a method of making an epitaxial film of bcc Co. The bcc Co is not in the form of nanoparticles.
There is need for rigid carbon composition containing metal nanoparticles. There is a further need for a process for synthesis of metal nanoparticles in a bulk material. There is a further need for new metal phases that have not be made by conventional means.